Draft Kit: 2014 Wide Receiver Rankings

Today we take a look at our 2014 Wide Receiver rankings. Catch all 60 below (see what I did there?)

We will be focusing on standard scoring rankings and will be noting players that have significantly more value in PPR. There is a trend towards focusing the core of building fantasy football teams around a strong WR base. Gone are the years of automatically choosing RB/RB in the first two rounds. With that, it is more important than ever to know which WR’s to target for your 2014 draft. Let us help!

I really like what Nelson brings to the table. He is a great consolation prize if you happen to miss out on any of the top 5 WR’s. He missed a couple of games in 2013, but I expect him to bounce back with a strong season.

The Falcons really missed Jones after he went down for the year in 2014. I think he is a great WR – and should be able to bounce back from his foot injury…but I do worry about the rumblings out of camp about his injury. Odds are, given I have him ranked 7th on my WR list that I don’t end up owning him in any sort of redraft.

An electric player when he is healthy – Cobb is a lock for a great season if he stays on the field. He is too dynamic of a playmaker to not post numbers. A threat any time he gets his hands on the football. Keep an eye on how he progresses through training camp. Early reports are not too encouraging.

Welker is a great PPR play, but he still has a lot of use in standard formats as well. Concerns over concussions will linger and he is one big hit away from having to sit out – but when he is healthy, he is a consistent producer in the WR slot.

White had a very poor 2013 for his standards and his stock has sunk like a stone compared with 2013 pre-season rankings. I expect him to be fully healthy to start this year, and he should be treated as a solid WR2 option.

Cruz had a down year in 2013 settling for 998 yards and 4 TD’s. While he will likely never replicate his 2012 season where he totaled 1,536 and 9 TD’s – I do expect him to be able to post numbers around 1,200 yards and 7-8 majors.

Seems disgruntled, but you can’t argue with his stats – or his general demeanour towards the Texans organization. One big concern for Johnson is the fact that he has only scored 11 TD’s total in the past three seasons.

Wright may be the exact opposite of Patterson. He will move the chains, and I would expect him to score more frequently than he did in 2013 when he scored only twice. Bump him up a couple of slots in PPR – but I do expect him to increase both his yardage total and TD’s in 2014.

In his second season, Floyd topped the 1,000 yard mark and scored 5 TD’s, both numbers I expect him to improve in his third season. He has a boatload of talent, and should be poised to make the next step this season.

Sanders will benefit from a move to Denver. While he brings a different set of skills to the table to that of Decker, Sanders should be a very useful option – as any Denver WR with consistent playing time would be.

Playing in Baltimore’s system hurts Smith as I really do like what he brings to the table as an NFL WR. Unfortunately, he will likely never put up numbers that are reflective of his talents as long as he is a Raven.

Tate heads to Detroit this year where he should see plenty of single coverage in a pass heavy offence. He is a prime candidate to break through the 1,000 yard mark, and could see his fair share of TD’s if he gels well with Matthew Stafford.

Williams should have an increased role in the Cowboys offence after posting a year with 736 yards and 5 TD’s in 2013. He looked great some weeks, and struggled mightily in others. There is some upside here relative to his ADP.

I like any WR with Drew Brees, and Cooks is no exception. The Saints liked him enough to choose him early in the 2014 NFL Draft – and although he is no certainty to produce, if there is one rookie I am willing to roll the dice on – it is Cooks.

Targets will likely go way down now that Wayne and Dwayne Allen are back from injury and Nicks was brought in. Three different weapons for Luck will bring down Hilton’s targets, and as such – I just can’t see him repeating his 2013 production.

2010 was a long time ago – and Bowe has struggled ever since then. He was really bad last year – but he still does have the ability to get open at will and should be the lead target in KC. I like his upside given his ADP….much more room for return on your investment compared with where he was going the last two years.

I love Watkins as a football player. I hate him for 2014 because EJ Manuel is going to hinder his chances at production. I think he is a great dynasty pick, but likely won’t pull the trigger on him early enough to land him in any redrafts.

Boldin posted 1,179 yards and 7 TD’s last year – but Michael Crabtree was absent for most of the year. He is a very polished, veteran option for Colin Kaepernick – but I find it difficult to believe he will duplicate his numbers from a year ago.

Rumours have surfaced that he may only have to miss 8 games in 2014. If so, he’ll be back for the second half of the year and could be at full stride come playoff time. Given the fact many WR’s drafted in August at this stage will be punted to the wire throughout the season – tell me Gordon isn’t worth the roll of the dice….

Many thought that the Mount Union product was poised for a breakout 2013 after posting strong numbers in 2012. He took a step backwards unfortunately. With Justin Blackmon not being able to behave – he should remain the #1 option for the Jags and could provide value relative to his ADP.

Find me a WR rankings list that has Steve Smith in the top 40 for 2014. Now, tell me again why everyone is making such a fuss about Cam Newton having no one to throw the ball to. Smith is fine for depth – but gone are the days where you can pencil him in as a WR2.

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